Is Painting Your Miniatures a Chore?
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- čas přidán 1. 06. 2017
- Do you find that it's a chore to paint your minis? Do you dread it? Put it off? Atom talks about what might be causing that and how you can start to fix it.
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What about idiots like me who only paint miniatures, very relaxing. But I don't play any board games. I paint em then they go straight onto shelves to collect dust.
Lol I'm exactly the same.
warpo007 I'm an idiot like you too :D No interest in playing Warhammer, although i do play board games. I also love the fluff!
Count me in too! I also like to paint minis and don't see it as a chore. Quite the opposite. Painting soothes the mind. Plus I'm into the lore/fluff.
haha same.. im just in it for the painting and lore
Yeah this is mostly me too. However said painted models are getting used again for actual games!
Listening to you talking about listening to podcasts made me realize that YOU need to do a podcast. 2 hours of you just talking with your amazing relaxing voice. You could just read the newspaper or whatever, I just want you talking into my ears, steadily for 2 hours. That would help me with my hobby! :)
Have you seen the livestreams? Basically the same thing
Jens Riisom Schultz yes to this 100%
I 100% had started to scroll through the comments just to see if there was one about him doing a podcast. He really should do something like that lol
This. Pa-chow ^
look up asmr
truth be told: painted minis win more often - and get the better dice results.
I've heard that a lot, so it must be true. Thanks for watching!
i love building models but i get lazy when it comes to painting
finally someone who thinks like me
I enjoy the actual painting part. Calling it a "meditative bubble" is appropriate, in my case.
What I don't like is ALL the other stuff. Sprue cutting, flash trimming, assembly are a chore. Even things like basing and priming. Not to mention getting my wet palette ready to go, or cleaning it up. To me, those are all time draining efforts required to get to the painting, in which the outside world gets naturally tuned out and I get pretty carefree while 'in the zone'.
I suppose that's a big reason I only consider doing skirmish and board games. Love the gaming side. Even more so when all I need to do is paint the minis - no assembly, no terrain. Trim, prime, and paint. Even then it requires some pushing to do regularly, but that's due to also having other pastimes.
I'll admit, it's another reason why skirmish games are growing in popularity. Thanks for watching!
I am a wargamer and I really do not like painting miniatures. I am pretty good at it, most of the time (if my minis are painted) they look better then the ones on the other side of the table. The problem is the painting consumes a lot of time and money. There is also a risk of painting a model which you later find to weak to play, so you just waist your time. I do not think you can do much in such case, some people like it, others do not. I do not think there is a particular reason to it. But if you like to play like me, and you want to have painted army there few things you can do to make it easier for yourself. 1. Test miniatures in game before painting. Put it on a table few times, make sure that it works for you as you hope it does. 2. Use wet palette, it speeds up painting a lot. 3. Use air brush, again, speeds it up.4. Use clever technics, like pre-shading, to speed up painting.5. Do not paint lots of similar models in a row, it really adds up to the chore.
It more chore for me as a welder; i work 14 a day and once i get my day off i just like to play but yea
when it comes to being a chore i tend to look on it as a chore when i got a big load of minis. i usually LOVE painting, and when i just bought a hero or other special character i take my sweet time on it. i've painted for about a year now. way too much, to releieve stress from my bachelors degree assignment which i work on every day. so after dinner i spend up to 5hrs of painting per DAY. and being a student keeps my budget tight so on my shelf of minis i got none unpainted, and the feeling of buying another box is so good :P especially when there's no grey minis sitting around. but if there is, i tend to start "rushing" through, to keep up, this leads to me losing appreciation of the minis and every layer starts to become a chore on the big batch paints. this can often happen in starter kits or start collecting boxes :P
I only buy 1 box a month to stay away from this exact problem.
When I started warmachine I bought a bunch of models at once so I always had a big backlog of models to paint. Around the same time I also bought into battletech and I got the blood bowl boxed game from GW. Now I've gone through everything I had to paint and I've kind of changed my focus. I usually have one set of models (right now I'm painting a Nurgle team for blood bowl) and I tell myself I can't buy anything more until I'm done painting it. It gives incentive to paint more and it makes it so that you don't have a giant backlog looming over you feeling like a chore you have to go through
I don't like playing with unpainted models. I see it as a chore, but I enjoy the finished product and am always interested in improving.
I thought it was a chore when I painted space marines. I didn't improve. I didn't enjoy it.
Then I switched to an army I *like*. Orks. And I enjoy painting the hell out of them.
The Swooz Waaagh! :-)
Glad to hear it, because there's a lot. Thanks for watching!
The Swooz I think that's actually a good way to gauge whether or not someone really likes the army they play/collect
Hey Uncle Atom,
When I got back into the 40K Hobby, many years ago, I unfortunately did something that I now Deeply regret, BUY EVERYTHING! Its a thing that can sometimes strike the more obsessive collectors among us, myself being one of them. Of course once you've started down that road and whether it be for ""Oh that looks good! or "Wow those in game rules are amazing I need one!"you just end up accruing more and more. Now fast forward the clock several years and you might find you have 15 thousands points worth of Chaos Space marines and only a couple thousand points of that is actually fully painted.
That's when the hobby rot sets in and you realise you now see painting your army as a chore. You selectively pick things you want to paint for whatever reasons while the massed ranks for sad grey plastic faces stare at you from every shelf in your gaming room. Now I'm only speaking from my perspective here, some people paint super fast, I sadly am not one of those people. So yeah, that's my opinion on why painting can become a chore. thanks for reading.
To me it felt natural dropping into wargaming as a hobby. As a kid, I was playing boardgames, I had plastic soldiers, knights and wild west figures. And I was building models. Further more, when we were playing outside, I tended to prepare scenes by building or improvising in full scale with whatever I had. There have been video games and pen&paper role playing games, but to me, the wargaming just made sense. It was like finally having rules for the toy soldiers and something to channel my creative energy into. It was never in question if I would not paint my stuff. It's more like more recently the model painting made me pick up canvas painting again, just to improve on my brush skills. One thing that has changed over the years is, that, painting and building aside, my buddies back then were actually interested in the gaming part and now most are not. So I do have the choice of presenting whatever I have to anybody vaguely willing to play and for that, X-Wing is in my opinion the best gateway at the moment, because the background is well known and it's easy to pick up. Right now, any classic war game would have to be prepared 100% by me and chances are huge I would have to keep working on my buddy's army until I might have converted him so much, that he will pick up and actually paint his own stuff. Now, I might be looking out for other players once in a while, but quality time is a big issue in my recent years, so it can't be a priority trying to have fun with other people like a teenager with unlimited ressources. I want to enjoy time with the friends and family I love and if that means X-Wing is what we can play, then I'm thankful and happy and I can at least paint space boards for it. I'm still buidling boards and minatures for two other games and I'm in the process of writing a game my friends will hopefully enjoy, so I'm not out of it, there's just no real demand for what I'm doing right now.
I think that pinpointing what is "hard" about hobbying is really key here. For me recently this was lighting. I had just moved my desk, and away from a good lamp and I didnt realize that trying to paint under the dim kitchen light was hurting my eyes. So I didnt paint for a like a week and wondered why the change was so sudden. I realized how blind I was, got a daylight bulb, and got back to work.
I think I might need some better lighting, as well. Thanks for watching!
Space and set-up it important. I used to love painting and building my minis, then I had to take down my drafting table due to space issues. It was set at a perfect height for me, and I found that the smaller table that replaced it made it uncomfortable for me to paint more than about 15 minutes. When I was able to set it up again in a new space, everything changed, and the joy came back.
Preaching to the converted on this one. I love painting more than playing to the point where I feel guilty if I don't make more effort to play. Playing doesn't feel like a chore, but if I need to make space to play I can sometimes get distracted. Yesterday I ended up doing some touch up painting on a model I only intended to move out of the way in order to play a game. Then as I went to clear more space I primed a dozen models. Lol.
There are times when I just want to play with my new unit, and then the painting can be kind of a chore, but it can also be really relaxing and enjoyable when I'm in the right mindset.
I love these videos. I subscribed to you recently for tips and the motivational talks. My problem is me holding me back. I see too many amazing looking minis and I know I'm starting at step 1 of knowing how to paint so it's hard to start painting knowing mine will look like a scrub did them. Watching your videos is helping me get motivated to get past these problems. I have a lot of your videos bookmarked and you really get me excited to get better and learn and try new things. Unrelated my problem is I do tabletop board games (Mansions of Madness, Blood Rage, Mice and Mystics etc etc) they don't see a lot of table time so again it's me saying "why bother only I will appreciate them". Either way you get me motivated to think about it more, prepare more, do more so thank you! Even if nobody else will really appreciate my minis I'm doing it for my own enjoyment. With so many resources online I know I can get better over time.
I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it and getting better. Thanks for watching!
I massively enjoy the painting side of the hobby.I don't put anything on a tabletop until it's painted and that tends to drive my painting.
I do verry verry super duper casualy paint models.
Basicly we started DnD with a few friends and we all wanted a few minifigures to represent our characters.
Painting them... I wouldn't realy want to call it a chore. But the thing that bugged me was that the figures are so small and so many details.
Its so difficult (well for me at least) to paint all those details nice.
Most of the time I messed up and had to repaint over the spilled area again.
Then it kinda felt like a chore to me.
Best wargaming channel on CZcams! Keep up the fantastic work!!
I guess with me it's a combination of a few things. Firstly it's like that lawn mowing people - everyone enjoys different things. Some like more to play, some like more to paint, I enjoy the most the converting part. Nearly every model I build is tweaked somehow, either totally converted or even slightly altered to differ from the others. The very first models I put together were tyranid warriors and the very first thing I did was to alter one of the head crests because there were two identical in the box. Lately I spent several hours converting carnifex kit. That's my focus. And the painting? It's that thing you have to do after you had your fun. Secondly, yeah, I suck at painting. Admittedly it's mostly due to lack of practice. But there's another problem. Painting requires much more prep work. The biggest hurdle is priming. I live in an apartment so even finding the place to prime is hard. Apartment is small and I don't have designated hobby space. I realise these are just excuses but they add to the feeling that painting is a chore.
I get anxious if I DON'T paint! Lol
Same here. Thanks for watching!
I find painting to be a nice and relaxing activity, and I like that it's a part of the hobby that I can do alone, or with people around if I so choose. Where as actually playing the games is a bit harder when you just want to relax at home alone.
Building models and painting miniatures is part of the act of CREATING, usually solitary, while playing the game with one or more others, is a social experience. Very different motivations, and different people prefer getting involved with the one of the two that they prefer. The painting process can sometimes be very tedious, but the reward is usually worth it.
I really enjoy your thoughtful videos.
I'm most definitely a hobbyist, and I'm also decent at painting. I'm not great, but I have placed and won painting competitions at my local GW store in the past.
That said, painting can become a chore for me very quickly. Do i go through the same withdrawal you do? Absolutely! There's no question it happens. I can tell myself one night after a LONG painting day that I do not want to paint again for a long time. Yet, I wake up the next morning eager to get back to it.
That said, I don't really see it as a chore, but I can burn out on it very quickly. I know you mentioned in another video where you need to pick your hobbies. I personally think that people can have more than one. I enjoy playing video games and assembling and painting miniatures. So, if a marathon session of painting to finish up a squad/unit keeps me from having the time to be able to play a video game I bought yesterday and am greatly enjoying... painting can begin to feel like a chore.
You mention breaking the number of models down in a large group so that it doesn't get overwhelming. I have 100 total Tyranit Gaunts. I've painted probably 70 to 80 of them, and I just about went crazy. I was on forums begging people to help me find ways to paint more quickly. I was basing, layering, shading, layering post shade, adding edge highlights, adding in some special painting techniques to make the armor look like chitin armor, etc. Each gaunt was taking about 50 minutes to finish even in an assembly line-type setup. 50 minutes per model and five models, and my evening is gone. That became a huge chore.
I did eventually spend so much time painting and ignoring everything else (except for proper hygiene, my day job, taking out the trash, etc.) that I burned out and just stopped everything miniature/model assembling and painting for probably two straight months.
Granted, I came back to it. But, I can very, very, very, very easily see how people (even me) can call it a chore even if you're listening to a good audiobook, podcast, TV Show, etc.
Let me throw out an example. I'm putting together 1000 points of Ironjawz because I want an army for all grand alliances and all major factions across both AoS and 40K (total of 7 armies). That said, I just started on my Ironjawz not long ago. I have 10 Ardboys, 5 Brutes, 6 Gore-Gruntas, a Warchanter, and a Megaboss to paint. Yes, that's only 23 models, but the Gore-Gruntas are big models that require a lot of detail.... same with the brutes. And painting yellow is the most incredibly irritating part of any model painting. I decided to take some time off painting until 8th edition comes out. But, while I am looking forward to the army being complete (by my hand), I am not overly looking forward to actually painting them.
I found while painting my Adeptus Mechanicus models that I was really enjoying them. I even set up a short painting log to help motivate me. I've got to the second part of the collection and the last three models feel like a mountain to climb and I don't knw why. Perhaps it's the promise of painting something different afterwards but that last coat of green is taking forever.
I like roleplaying as the emperor when I'm painting my space marines.
Very inspiring words,i do love to paint but have spells of being dismayed at the pile of plastic in front of me,you give me hope!
Many thanks mate.
I find painting a chore, but I need to do it to play. I really love assembly, and painting is just the difficult part between building the kit and being able to use it. If 15mm WWII had pre-paints, I would totally be up for that! This is why there are no painting tutorials on Fog of War! Thanks for this - and for all the other interesting topics you wax lyrical on. They are very entertaining.
I'm glad you think I "wax lyrical" in my videos. Thanks for watching!
If you like painting your not going to see it as chore. However, alot of people are not great painters and struggle with it. Which takes enjoyment away from the hobby. Because they enjoy the other parts of the hobby more. Such as playing the game or building the models. I can't say what the solution is for everyone but I can say this. You have to have an idea of what you want your army to look like . It's much easier to paint a model if you have a feel for what you want the overall theme of your army to be. In my current project Blood Angels the big colours are Red , Gold and White but I am also trying airbrush stencils on vehicles for big black angels wings. So I have an Idea for what I want the finish project to look like which I think makes it easier. My next step was to look on youtube to find videos about ways to paint Space Marine to help get the desired look. Pretty much how I ended up on this page to begin with. Once I felt I had the info/tools I needed I started painting one squad and once that was finished. I took a step back and said what do I want to do next. I think having a dedicated space for painting/hobby is a big thing. If you have to drag stuff out ever time you go to paint/hobby your going to put it off for another time.
I watch your videos when I do some hobbying. But thanks for Las Podcast On The Left. listening to the first video that I can go back to whilst putting together Dark Imperium(The gulf breeze sightings) and its a good laugh!
Mr. Atom, I'll agree on the part about breaking it up into small chunks, I'll assemble 5-10 minis, then prime them, and paint them, and base them. Once the batch is completed, I will put them into my storage/transport box and then do a piece of terrain to break up the monotony. I prefer to listen to some soothing music rather than a podcast while painting, I find ethereal Celtic music to really complement my painting of Tyranids, call me crazy!
It's a good process to have. Thanks for watching!
I love all aspects of the hobby. Wish i had more people to play with. If you are in the Denver area, and want a mini-war friend, please dont hesitate. Thanks for the vids Uncle A!!. Last summer i ate shrooms everyday a little bit, and painted the whole dark vengeance set. Took second place with the terminators in a competition. Little did they know i was on a different level of painting when i accomplished that lol. Good times that summer!
Good topic Atom, Had a thought and it's something I've gotten into is rewarding myself with games as I finished projects. I tired this with the latest army I built for 40k. Over the time I would paint either new models or blocks of points and then I would play a game. I found it really helpful too keep momentum up with painting minis and wanting to get back too the project table. It's something to consider doing if your working through a larger force.
This is a good idea. Thanks for watching!
I'm on the same wavelength as you, uncle Atom! I also enjoy the hobby in all its various aspects. Painting soothes the mind! :-)
The fact is some people don't enjoy painting miniatures. And the conversation begins to sound like every conversation where one person tries to force other people to enjoy something that they enjoy, even though the other people don't enjoy it at all. Which is silly, and it's really the problem of the person who enjoys it and can't get it through their heads that other people don't and don't have to. I'm sure Uncle Atom could do an experiment where he spends 6 hours a week doing something he doesn't enjoy at all in his free time instead of things he'd rather do, and then tell us if he figured out a solution to the problem after several months. But my guess would be there isn't a solution, and at the end of the day painting and modeling being tied to miniature gaming, is a combination of two entirely separate things that don't have a natural relationship and nothing can fix that fact.
My suggestion: find a commission painter to paint your minis, or look into a game like Star Wars X-Wing, which is painted. I think that your hobby should be something you enjoy, or you should find a way to fix it. Thanks for watching!
for me, painting miniatures is meditation of a sort :)
Same here. I may make a video about that some day. Thanks for watching!
I enjoy both as separate entities. I love painting and drawing etc. while I also love just playing games: video, board, tabletop, card, even lawn games lol
I think it depends how good you are at painting once you reach the table top standard you start to become proud of your work and the painting becomes rewarding
That's an interesting concept. For many people, that's probably a big part of it. Thanks for watching!
Good reflection video. Just like in the beginning. Love it👍🏻
Oi I find certain stages of painting to be a chore. Like edge highlighting kills me, but putting on the bases and shades and stuff is fun
For me, painting my minis has always been the part of the hobby that I dread the most. I find it to be very tedious and at times frustrating. My way of overcoming this is to just simply instill a bit of self discipline and remind myself of how accomplished I'll feel once I'm done, and to think about how much better they'll look once painted. Once I plow through the first 2 or 3 steps of the process and I can start to see the paint job coming together, suddenly I'm more focused and determined to get them done. It's like a kind of morale boost once I've turned the corner I guess.
I love painting and I will hear an audio book while I do it. That's how I "read" the whole Dark Tower saga. I also get antsy if I don't paint for a while. The only issue that I currently have is lack of time. I'm in graduate school and I didn't paint one single miniature for 3 months and I am accustom to paint daily. I figured that some people will go through this issue, but it's just a temporary phase.
DrummerDanny hope you enjoyed the series! One of the greatest works of fiction imo. Throws all of Stephen Kings books into one amazing universe. Too bad the movie was so terrible.
I feel like the law of diminishing returns is really applicable to painting. As such when I start an army I paint a test model at a standard I'm comfortable with and then aim to make the rest of my painting as consistent with that models as possible, rather than aiming ever higher as I paint within a single project (with the exception of characters and large models, because they're standout pieces).
Interesting: I made a video about the Law of Diminishing Returns as it relates to painting. Thanks for watching!
Nice Hitchhikers Guide reference there. Very subtle
Glad you caught it. Thanks for watching!
I used to be in the painting as a chore camp, mostly because I wasn't good at it(and I'm still not very good), but I really wanted to play Kings of War and had a ton of Dwarfs to paints so I made my self sit down and do it. I don't know what happened, maybe it's some kind of Stockholm syndrome, but about a third of the way through painting them I started to enjoy and and the last two thirds were a breeze to paint. After they were done I'm right into my Kharadron overlords and enjoying painting those. On a whim yesterday I pulled out the Menoth half of my old Warmachine starter that's been on the shelf for years and I'll probably paint them after the sky dorfs even though I don't even play Warmachine anymore.
Glad to hear you've hit your stride. Thanks for watching!
You're an artist Uncle Atom, and find pleasure in your art(s). Sadly we are not all born with the same love for art and it's expression through ones self. I personally find it to be a meditation as well as entertainment, but some can't still that long X ).
One way to stop painting becoming a chore is to start by finding a way to quickpaint your miniatures. The best way to do this is, in my experience, with the Army Painter quickshade way: colour primer, base colours, quickshade, a few highlights, done. Once you've got that down, you'll get big armies done very quickly looking not all that bad. Once you've got a fully painted army, you'll no doubt want a fully painted army that looks better, so then painting the army becomes something you want to do. That's how I stopped painting from being a chore.
I still have way more fun building minis though.
Building/painting spaces are definitely important. I find that, for building, the living room coffee table works best (better when combined with some TNG or DS9!), but for painting, it's got to be my computer table with my comfy chair.
Enjoy the painting and find it relaxing, it's the cleaning up and assembly that holds me up.
Sorry to reply on such an old video. I just found your channel a weekish ago. Its both for me. I really enjoy painting a model and seeing how much my modeling and painting has gotten over the years. At the same time I hate the idea of fielding a half painted army. Lately I've decided to go in the skirmish direction. Not only are there fewer models to paint in order to play, but I also end up collecting pieces I would never have bought otherwise. For example I just picked up for WH 40K the battle for Vedros. I've always been a space marines player and collector and never really saw a need to collect any other races. With Battle for Vedros I now have a small playable Ork force that I can learn how to paint and paint relatively quickly and then boom 2 painted playable factions.
I do not find it to be a chore at all. I love every single aspect of the hobby; from keeping up with my painting area (shopping for paints/tools), to preparing the miniature, to painting it, to create cool base for it, etc. The fact that I can play with the miniature once I'm finished painting it is an added bonus :-)
I feel the same. Thanks for watching!
I went back to wargames (after many years xD) when I randomly found one of your videos, and even though I'll like to play it at some point, I do really really enjoy painting them, is a great way of disconnect from my job and relax. And I can see my painting getting better, so is also really rewarding. Just don't rush it and enjoy it, is not about getting to the finish line, is about enjoying the way.
Glad to hear you're getting back into it. Thanks for watching!
I get both sides of this. I love building a new set, and getting started but sometimes a project is just too big and I get stuck. I had one for the past few weeks and just broke it today working on a few new Orks (or Orruks or whatever). I'm now really excited because next time I'll be finishing them off and making them look great.
I have no idea how you can listen to a podcast while your painting - I can get through an entire album and not remember a single song - no idea how you listen and concentrate.
Painting isn't a chore as long as you don't loose oversight. One Box at a time and hey presto, it's recreational.
The biggest issue is that it's such a large barrier of entry to play tabletop wargames. You see how it plays, it looks cool as hell, you get interested and want to join... Then there is a giant stop sign that says "whoah there, first you gotta drop a good chunk of money just to have a basic playable level of dudes, then you have to take the time to assemble, then take the time to paint them, and THEN you can join everyone else.". Now sure, you don't HAVE to paint them to play.. But not many people want that. They still want to look cool on the table and they stick out like a sore thumb just being unpainted. You are looking at spending many many hours of barrier before you feel as if you are allowed to play the game that caught your attention. The first draw for a new player is seeing the game in action, generally. The gameplay is what pulls them in and convinces them to take a plunge. Yet there is a barrier to play the game even at a more basic level. Its VERY easy to convince friends to jump into X-wing or Armada with me. There is a low cost, assembly is dirt simple and you jump straight into the game. Convincing someone to jump into Warhammer is a monumental task in comparison. They are all enamored by the models but once they realize the sheer monetary and time investment it takes to even play the game at a basic level they just get put off completely.
This is 100% right on the money! It's sad that Atom didn't even address this in the video.
wow only 50? in my current army i will have close to 900 models the same. but i see it as something to relax. Like taking a break from stuff. Ty for making all these videos. They are second to none when i paint i listen to one of your videos.
It is the same for me; I use my hobby sessions painting my W40K figures as a relaxation from my high-stress job. The biggest thing I have to watch out for is so many distractions that steal away my spare time to the point where I risk sacrificing sleep if I am not careful and making sure the weather is good enough for a mass base painting spray session. I recently bought some small paint pots of black primer to brush on to get around this!
I do try to listen to your CZcams videos and other tutorial videos while painting now to help with the focus. And if not that, having just music I like playing in the background and making sure my painting space is set up so I can easily sprue cut, glue and paint away with few interruptions.
I could easily play the X-Wing Miniatures Game from being a SW fan and still having a massive collection of the original Star Wars Micro Machines. But my money can only spread so far. :D
Love to build, do NOT love paint but love the result, live to play so two out of three an't bad
I find building to be enjoyable, but I seem to like painting a bit better. Thanks for watching!
I see painting as my main hobby :) and as an added bonus that hobby allows me to play great games with my friends now and then ^_^
Lately that's been my life as well. Hoping to get more fun games in soon. Thanks for watching!
I wouldnt exactly call it a chore I really enjoy painting and find it relaxing but I find you have to be in the mood to do it and not to rush it to get it done that way your minitures look better and you dont get fed up with it
I find cleaning resin a chore
Virgo v we all do no worries. Had to spend an hour yesterday on one resin figure just removing the casting blocks and sanding. Really makes you appreciate the plastic side of modeling such as armour and vehicles lol
Painting isn't a chore, it's a job. A job for which the payment is... more models to paint and paint and gear to paint them with!
I love painting (it is my happy place) but I find certain steps of the process a chore. Clipping parts, getting rid of mould lines and laying down the first couple of coats isn't all that enjoyable, but when I start converting and adding detail I enter "the zone". When I am feeling patient, I take advantage of the good mood to clip, clean and undercoat as much as I can, so that later on when I feel like doing detail work, I have some projects at that stage of development to work on.
I would've thought your question was very peculiar two weeks ago. Painting is the only part of the hobby I've actually taken part in.
Yet I decided I might as well play with some of my toys recently. I was originally trying to decide between Infinity and Malifaux but, for the first time I can remember, 90% of people are very optimistic about the new 40k and the rules are semi free etc.
To shorten the story down as much as possible I'm now 9 grots into an Ork army and I'm about to smash my head on the table.
Only 16 more grots, a truck, a driver, a bike, a biker, a nob and ten boyz before I have to buy more models in a desperate attempt to get an army fielded. Almost there.
Edit: Pecu isn't a word.
Very much enjoying this get-'er-done series. A while back you mentioned doing some Astra Militarum for Shadow War, and that you'd done something different that worked really well when painting them. It sounded like a variation on your rattle-can technique. Are you still planning to do a show on that?
Yes, it's coming soon. Just need to get the lighting for the second camera sorted out. Thanks for watching!
for me it starts to become a chore when things start going wrong. I've bought a Skitarii kill team for Shadow War Armageddon but by pot of Leadbelcher is drying out so it's difficult to get decent smooth and tidy coats that don't clog up my brushes and make them a nightmare to use but I don't have the funds to replace it so even though I really want to get them finished it does feel like a chore.
I 100% agree with this video. I use painting my models as a therapy. I am a combat vet, and when I feel like I need to stop, reset, and relax by focusing on an objective, I paint Warhammer models. I feel that yes, painting models is a chore, BUT the end result is the main goal. Making a good looking army to play with or even just display is what makes me feel accomplished and good all at the same time. Thanks for posting this! It really gives me that motivation to start my Nurgle Army for WH 8th edition!
Yep. I feel it can be a chore. Bad grip, shaky hands, 70 odd Bolt Action minis to do along with all the Warhammer and 40k minis I have sitting around and getting frustrated cause my minis havent turned out exactly the same as the ones in painting tutorials. That being said seeing my skill now compared to when I started it is satisfying.
I also enjoy getting better. That helps a lot. Thanks for watching!
I personally LOVE to play with my miniatures but I am not the biggest fan of painting them. What I use to counter this is I undercoat the model and then just slap a bit of paint on it (making it look clean, yet doing it very simply) and then the people I play with (atleast here in Sweden) are ok with that and like my 2 color Harlequins even though I will not win an award for best painted army xD But when I do paint I do like you said and listen to some music or rewatching a series/anime, and I also think a good tip for people is to do it when you feel like you are motivated to do it. I saw a Harlequin army that I thought was beautiful, yet looked like it was simple to paint. So that gave me energy to finish my army, even though it wasn't at the same standard as the army I saw, it helped me :)
I enjoy painting and improving but I think that's because how I got started. lived way out on a farm and only really go to the store to buy paints and models with not much time to play. I just don't enjoy it when a model takes longer than I think it should or not getting the look I want. Then it becomes a chore to finish it.
That 'itch', that's withdrawal symptoms in my book, that's why I see it as an addiction. I totally get all of this. For me it's relaxation, enjoyment, a chore, a need and all sorts of additional feelings. The mental aspect is as big a challenge as the grey tide before me.
Holding onto my hobby mojo while painting that colour I suck at or making an acceptable compromise on an element so the project can progress, those are the hurdles I constantly war with. But when it gets complete, or even the 5-10 minutes of post 'work in progress' staring at what I've acheieved - that's where I get my 'hit'.
Thanks, I needed that.
Glad to help. Thanks for watching!
I felt it was a chore when I painted Warhammer and 40k, just too many models I couldn't focus on any (except characters). Now that I just occasionally paint X wing minis I find it significantly more fun and rewarding.
I can understand that. Thanks for watching!
great video mate I must admit I do get discouraged when painting as I'm not the best or I can only do it once a week for a couple of hours due to family and work commitments but believe me when I say that once I see the finished model and see how much better it's turned out I really begin to see the joy I have in painting........except howling banshees those girls hair is a right pain to paint
I find it a chore as I don't see much progress. An entire evening of painting will net me about 5-6 base coated miniatures. It is really frustrating when you are on paint layer number 5 but you can still see the black or white primer underneath.
I'd tell you to try colored primer, but that doesn't really solve the problem. Sorry. Thanks for watching!
For me, I found that in the beginning painting was a chore, because it was a stopping me from playing the game that I wanted to play with the finished miniatures. Then I found a skirmish game(mordheim) where I only needed 10 models to start which meant that I could play almost immediately(the immediate next week). being able to immediately play and then having the painting on the side suddenly meant that It was much more enjoyable, because If I wanted to play, I had the skirmish game. If I wanted to paint then I had my army(warhammer 40k T'au)
Now 2 years later I have 3 warhammer armies (FB Orcs, FB elves, 40k T'au) and 6 skirmish warbands (Mali'faux gremlins, Norscan reavers, Amazons, elves, orcs, nuln, vampires counts, Mordheim), of each roughly 15-20 characters. And I enjoyed painting every single one of them.
glad to know im not alone lol i always thought i was weird for enjoying the painting more then the games themselves thats why i like working on my dioramas so much
painting is the main draw in for me for model games. painting is one of the few things that realy relaxes me
i find if it starts to feel like a chore , take a break for a while, until you feel inspired again.
also as a horde army collector (orks /IG) assembly line painting helps
When I first started it felt like a chore cause while I had a space in my room to paint I had a really crappy wooden chair that got uncomfortable after like 5 minutes. After I upgraded to a better chair it helped me paint a lot more
It's 3:30 in the morning and I'm taking a short break from painting my new Blightlord unit. I think it is safe to say I like to paint!
You have to accept that you will suck awhile before you get good. I kinda want to scrub the paint off my old models. I don't like the paint job but it would get chunky if I painted them over.
I kinda get what you are saying here. I do enjoy painting, I have invested a lot of time and money in my paints etc, I love picking out colour schemes, and I do get a kick when something goes right. But sometimes when I think about painting I get anxious (a bit ridiculous really as I don't currently use mini's in the games I play). I think my anxiety comes from the fact that I'm not very good yet, I'm a bit of a perfectionist and when something I have done isn't perfect it bothers me.
For example this week I have been painting up some mini's for D&D. We don't actually use mini's so it's not really an issue but I did it because I wanted to. Then I got to the point where I had to paint the faces, I suck at faces and I know that the only way to get better is to practice. But thinking about painting those faces and thus ruining what is otherwise a good paint job, really made me anxious. :/
Do I need a therapist? :D
These days, I'm painting a lot more than playing and I'm like warpo007 and several others here...buying sets of minis just to paint. I have lots of Age of Sigmar models that I'm working on, and I've never played a single game. :-/ I've been asked to do commissions, but painting is my thing to do for relaxation. It's meditation of sorts. I don't want painting to become a job, chore, or a task that I have to do.
My hobby space is in a computer armoire and I'm trying to get it pimped out with decent lighting and storage for my paints. My main problems are that I work a lot of hours and get very little time off during the nice and warm parts of the year. I have very bad seasonal depression during the time that I do get off ( because winter is b***s**t!) and I tend to get very little done during that time. I'm trying to turn that around also by trying out a daylight desk lamp that also doubles as a light therapy lamp. That makes getting in painting time almost mandatory to keep me in a decent mental state.
Using that light two-fold is a really good idea. Thanks for watching!
Hi Uncle Atom,
Another amazing - how to improve or change mindset of us as modellers in this great hobby. We all at some point can relate to these recent videos, I certainly can.
I really enjoy these videos & would like to echo what others have asked .. Have you considered doing or start doing podcasts?.
I always look forward to your new videos & I am sorry if this is selfish .. just can't get enough.
Many thanks and kindest regards
Dan 😎👍
At this point I've been painting about 3 months. And there is SOOOOOOOOOOO much to learn. It's frustrating and the learning curve is very sharp especially if you are hard on yourself. I'm almost finished with my Zombicide and Wulfsburg sets, and it's 6 pieces away from being complete. I enjoy the painting and the process but I haven't learned much to be able to repeat a technique over and over. Playing music isn't a chore to me, but thats considering I put a lot of time in with a metronome and the same kind of frustration. It's a process
I'm in the "it's a chore" idea. The clipping and glueing is fun, I love putting it together and playing it, but painting nids is a tad of a chore. After painting 50 termagants and everything else, I have 3 hive guard that just stare at me but I don't feel like sitting down and painting. I want to but I don't feel like doing it. It's frustrating
Horde-style armies are the hardest, I agree. Thanks for watching!
For me, the prep stage actually is the chore. I've got poor eyesight due to an injury in my teens - I'm a good painter but even with a magnifier, eye fatigue becomes a problem after a while and I can't paint for as long as I'd like.
If I can spend a couple hours painting, that's fun. If those hours are taken up cleaning mold lines, etc. and then I have to stop for the day to avoid a headache... then of course my hobby time will feel like a chore.
I do like painting, but I accumulated 1 cannon, 1 frigate, 10 spiders, 1 troll, 72 goblins and 55 dwarves that are ready to get painted, but I stopped, simply because I can no longer remember which brand of baking paper I used to make a wet pallete, and all I buy now are terrible for the task.
I find that I love building the models... painting is second, playing is a distant third. I'm hoping that the new 40k will bring the gaming piece up to a close third.
I would put painting ahead of building, but just slightly, and playing is becoming closer, especially since I started Malifaux, GW games are stale.
I think a lot of people get stuck on the overall goal and forget that for every big insurmountable chore there are single tiny steps you can break it down into until all you have to do is breathe and move your right foot forward. That's it.
Do you have to paint an army? Sure. Eventually. But that's not where the work begins. You start by.. maybe thinking about a color scheme. Picking out the paint bottles and lining them up. Setting up your space. That can be one day to a week. And it's several small steps that can be broken down even further if you need it.
Then you can say to yourself... ok. I'll use only one colour... And I'll do only one coat of one section... And then once you've begun you're like ah well I'm already here, might as well continue. Do this enough times and sooner or later you will have painted an army.
Small raindrops to rivers. Many small rivers to the sea.
I might have kissed it in there, but simplifying the painting as much as possible can make it less of a chore also. Things like getting an air brush to put the primer and main color on, then brush on the trim parts and that can be good enough. A wash or two maybe also just to give it a bit more. A lot can be accomplished with very little work.
Very true, especially with rank-and-file troops. Thanks for watching!
Gaming is definitely secondary to me as well, that’s partially due to me having trouble approaching people, and sadly my friends don’t build paint or play, however my girlfriend is into the hobby aspect and she loves games in general so maybe I will find someone to game with!
Anywho, yeah I sometimes feel like it’s a chore, but I do that to myself by putting too much on my plate, so I just do it when it’s relaxing and just get it done when I get it done, I really have no use to rush it, which you’ve talked about in other videos! I’ve been getting better results as well by taking it slow and not rushing through just because I love finished products. Love the videos, keep it up.
Hi Adam, great post as ever, maybe one of the reasons it seems chore like. Which certainly factors in for me the put of till tomorrow is the time the hobby aspect takes. Having the mindset of I will at this time today do XYZ progress (not work) on Project ABC, is something I sometimes struggle with. Maybe a post (if you haven't already and ready to pachow a link) is Managing you hobby time?
I think the main portion for me is the play and social aspect, and the next biggest thing is assembly. I certainly find painting a chore, mainly because it takes me personally so much time to paint (perfectionist), and I would honestly rather spend time with my wife :)
You two could paint together. Thanks for watching!
To reduce the feel of the chore only have figures you are actively working on on your workspace. Put everything else away.
This is also a good idea for some people. Thanks for watching!
I think priming miniatures is the chore, the actual detailing is great fun. But holding up the mini outside where I can spray prime, ya know. Unless i'm going to do that 20 times for each mini I won't get a great primer layer. If I do the cardboard ranks and files prime, zenithil highlight is impossible.
(But you know what I just realized a solution to my own problem, might have to make a video about this ... )
I find painting with friends helps making it less of a chore.